European ForTwo and ForFour to join North America in ditching internal-combustion engines, promises Daimler's CEO

Smart will become a completely electric car brand by 2020, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said early April, with the automaker’s European-market cars joining North America’s in dropping internal combustion engines.

Canadian and U.S. Smart ForTwo coupes and cabriolets made the switch to being exclusively battery powered for the 2018 model year, but within the next two years, European ForTwos and larger ForFour five-door hatchbacks will also ditch conventional fuel-burning powerplants, GreenCarReports quotes the exec.

Zetsche also noted that by 2022, Daimler plans to have at least electrified vehicle in every segment, though that vehicle may be a plug-in hybrid as opposed to a full electric.

The switch to electric drivetrains only has roughly halved the sales of Smart FotTwos in Canada, from an average of roughly 31 per month in 2017; to a record-low 13 in February 2018. Sales had peaked as high as 400 per month as recently as September 2016.

British brand Mini is also rumoured to consider a move to an all-electric lineup, though that would happen at the earliest by 2025.